Church Road c1955, Tiptree

Homes Boy

I entered White's Children's Home and Mission (known as CH&M) in June of 1945 having come from Surbiton, Surrey. I was 9 years old. The home was situated in Church Rd opposite "The Pond", it is now a CO-OP supermarket.  There was a large Georgian house named "The Grove" and a Hall with other buildings, we had a large field to play in, there was also a farm there. There were about 56 children there then, boys and girls. We went to Tiptree Heath School, and the Congregrational Church in (I think) Chapel Rd, now the Reformed Church. We used to be marched two-by-two to school and church.  The home was founded in 1899 by Mr Herbert White at South Woodford.  Tiptree was the holiday premises and because of the war they had to stay at Tiptree from September 1939 till Easter 1947, when most of the children were moved back to South Woodford. The premises were sold in 1954. When I was there Mr White and his wife with... Read more